If you’re like me you’ve been playing D&D a long time and 5e is not your introduction to this wonderful game. And if you’re like me you haven’t read every single page of the PHB and DMG. You’re an experienced player, you know what’s what. You rely on your experience and looks stuff up when you need to (good luck finding it in the PHB index).

However, as I play with more and more new players I find that many of the rules I thought were the same in 5e as they were in previous editions are not exactly the same. Many are quite similar but because I hadn’t taken the time to look them up I was doing things incorrectly. That’s not to say these errors broke the game, but if I’m doing things in a way that is contrary to the actual Rules As Written (RAW) that may cause confusions and lead to arguments in real life. Better to get it right and share that knowledge with others who didn’t know.

So to help all those experienced players like me who haven’t read the rule books cover to cover, I’ve compiled a helpful list of common mistakes I’ve seen or done when running or playing 5e D&D. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it covers the most gross violations and misconceptions. And to assure you that everything I say in the article below is correct, I’m even going to site page references from the PHB as applicable.

1) Surprise!

Repeat after me “There is no such thing as a surprise round in 5e.” Don’t believe me, look it up. The first round of combat can function differently than normal if some creatures (friendly or hostile) are surprised. This is usually based on who’s hidden and who’s not, but there are other factors. Don’t even get me started on the Ambuscade action Rangers get in the Unearthed Arcana article. That’ll just make your head hurt.

(PHB pg. #189)

2) Initiative

Two players and a monster all roll the same number on initiative. Who goes first? In previous editions ties were settled by the Dex modifier or Dex score. In 5e that’s not the case. When players get the same result on their initiative check, it’s up to them to decide amongst themselves who goes first. The Dex score, the Dex modifier, and even the number on the d20 are all irrelevant. They just talk it out and decide. Of course if they can’t decide then they can roll off or find some other way to settle the dispute. Likewise if a bunch of monsters get the same result the DM can decide what order they go in.

Now I remember reading somewhere that when the DM and players tie the players ALWAYS go ahead of monsters. I’ve scoured through the PHB and AL Players Guide and I can’t find that written anywhere. Maybe it was something that was in the D&D Next play test? In any case, I’ve been applying this rule since 5e was launched and it’s worked very well. If anyone knows where this “rule” came from, please let me know in the comments below.

(PHB pg. #189)

3) Movement

Movement has changed (for the better) in 5e D&D. You can now move throughout your turn. You can move, attack, move some more, attack some more, move again, attack again using your bonus action, and move even more. You’re no longer forced to do all your moving at the beginning or end of your turn. Break it up into 5 ft increments and use them when you need to. Just be sure you understand how opportunity attacks work (more on that below).

One other thing about movement is the Dash action. This replaced the double-move common in previous editions. Think of movement in 5e as a pool of steps. When you take the Dash action you get more steps added to your pool. So a Rogue can use their cunning action to Dash as a Bonus action (adding to their pool) and then use their action to Dash (adding to their pool again).

(PHB pg. #190)

4) Bonus Actions

Many players who came from 4e liken bonus actions to minor actions. Although they are similar, they are not the same.

You cannot downgrade your action or your move to take a second Bonus Action. You get one bonus action per round; that’s it.

Many bonus actions can only be taken when you do something specific with your action. For example, if you make a melee weapon attack with your action, you can then make one off-hand attack as a bonus action. You cannot make the off-hand attack if you do something else with your action, like Dodge or drink a potion.

(PHB pg. #189)

5) Opportunity Attacks

The 5 ft step or shift is no longer a thing in 5e. If you back away from an enemy, moving out of their threatened area then that enemy can take a free swing at you (what we like to call an opportunity attack). Once inside a monster’s threatened area (usually all squares adjacent to that enemy) you can move freely wherever you want as long as you remain within their reach. So if you’ve got the speed you can literally run circles around an enemy and they will not get an opportunity attack. Remember that in 5e each creature only gets one reaction so if they take an opportunity attack against you they won’t get one against your ally when he runs away. Unless the enemy goes between you and your ally, then you’ve got a problem.

In 5e fewer things provoke opportunity attacks than in previous editions. For example, if you stand up from prone, an adjacent enemy does not get an opportunity attack. And if you make a ranged attack, an adjacent enemy does not get an opportunity attack – however, you do have disadvantage on the attack roll.

(PHB pg. #195)

6) Concentration

Many spells require the spellcaster to maintain Concentration. These spells remain active until one of three things happens.

The spellcaster casts a different spell that also requires Concentration. You can only have one Concentration spell active at a time. The new one trumps the old one.

The spellcaster is required to make a Concentration saving throw and fails (more on that below).

The spellcaster falls unconscious.

While a spellcaster has a Concentration spell in effect they CAN cast other spells; they just can’t cast another Concentration spell or the first one stops. So a Cleric can cast Bless in round 1 and then cast Sacred Flame every round after that.

If a spellcaster has a Concentration spell in effect and they take damage they must make a Concentration saving throw (which is a Constitution save). The DC is either 10 or half the damage taken. So unless a single attack deals 22 damage or more the DC is 10. If the spellcaster fails the save the spell stops. Remember that a save is required every time the spellcaster takes damage. So a spellcaster hit by a level 1 Magic Missile would have to make three separate saves.

Concentration works exactly the same way for monsters and PCs so keep that in mind when monsters cast spells that require Concentration.

(PHB pg. #203)

7) Casting Two Spells

Yes, you can cast two spells in the same round. The only restriction is that one of them MUST be a cantrip. So we often see Clerics cast Healing Word (level 1 spell, bonus action) and Sacred Flame (cantrip, action) in the same round. This is absolutely allowed.

(PHB pg. #202)

8) Delay / Readying an Action

In 4e if you weren’t ready or you didn’t like your spot in the initiative you could delay and jump back into the initiative wherever you wanted. That’s not a thing anymore. Now you can Ready an Action if you don’t know what to do or need to wait for an ally or monster to do something first. You can only ready one thing (action or move) and you must declare a specific trigger that determines when you can do that thing. Readying an Action counts as a reaction so you cannot take an opportunity attack when Readying an Action. An important note for spellcasters, if you ready a spell and don’t cast it (perhaps the trigger wasn’t met) you lose the spell. This is why spellcasters generally only ready cantrips.

[EDIT] Point of clarification. If you’re readying an action and the trigger hasn’t happened yet, you can chose to take an opportunity attack if something provokes one, but doing so counts as your reaction and the readied action is forfeit.

(PHB pg. #193)

9) Short Rest

In 5e a short rest takes 1 hour, not 5 minutes as it did in 4e. Most players realize the change, but I’m still getting the occasional player who thinks they can regain their powers and expend hit dice to heal when they rest for 5 minutes. Resting takes a lot longer in game and therefore isn’t as common as it used to be. If monsters are chasing you now is not the time to rest.

(PHB pg. #186)

10) Death Saves

This was a new mechanic introduced in 4e that carried over into 5e. There are a few important changes that people still get wrong.

Death saves are now made at the BEGINNING of your turn, not the end. So if you get that magical 20 you’re awake and can take your turn as normal.

If the result is 20 or higher you gain 1 hit point. You do not need to roll a natural 20 (although that works too). If you’re the recipient of a Bless spell or a Paladin’s Aura of Protection those bonuses to saving throws apply to the death save. So you may regain consciousness if a number other than a natural 20 appears on the d20 as long as the total after all modifiers is 20 or more.
[EDIT] So I have fallen victim to the very thing I was writing about at the outset. I am falling back on the 4e rules about adding bonuses to saves to modify the 20 outcome. Since the time I posted this I have found a few official Q&As in which this was asked and answered by Jeremy Crawford. It has to be a natural 20.

(PHB pg. #197)

How many of the things I wrote about above are you guilty of violating. Be honest. Comment below and tell us which ones shocked or surprised you the most. I especially want to hear from people who have been playing since 5e was released who are only now realizing that they were doing it wrong. No judgement, I just want to know that I’m not the only one.

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A terrible evil is coming! And a family of Gur nomads are the only ones who seem to be taking precautions to protect themselves. They even went so far as to steal from the goodly people who frequent the Crossing Inn. But a group of good-hearted adventures looking to make names for themselves stepped in and offered to recover the stolen property and return the Gur thieves to the authorities.

In the past two sessions we learned of four Gur men, what they stole, and where they were headed. The PCs recovered missing gems in COINS, stolen weapons in SWORDS, and a broken wand in STARS. This time out the PCs seek Papa who stole rare herbs and headed towards the foreboding and unwelcoming Quivering Forest in GLYPHS.

GLYPHS

The heroes were warned by the locals that the Quivering Forest was off limits. There as a treaty in place going back hundreds of years and by entering the forest uninvited they’d be putting that treaty at risk. They felt it was worth the risk to find and return Papa.

After a few hours of wandering in the woods the PCs were beset upon by Elven Scouts. The Elves were accompanied by three Cooshees, large Elven hounds known for their ferocity in battle. The Elves accused the PCs of trespassing in the Forest. The heroes tried to talk peacefully, explaining who they were, why they were here, and that they planned to leave as soon as they’d completed their mission.

The Elves were agitated and the PCs picked up on that. Despite calming words and soothing tones (and great Persuasion checks) the Elves were intent on having the PCs drop weapons and surrender. It was clear that the Elves would attack the PCs as soon as they were unarmed so it was combat time.

Some PCs engaged in melee with the Elves right away. During the first round the Cooshees did not fight. Astute PCs made Insight and Animal Handling checks to realize that the Cooshees were put off by the Elves’ odd behaviour. Perhaps the hounds could be coaxed into staying out of the fight? While most PCs continued fighting, attacking to incapacitate and not kill, some tried winning over the Cooshees and were successful. The hounds joined the PCs in their efforts to take down the Elves.

With all the Cooshees on the side of the PCs the battle didn’t take long. When it was over the PCs searched the Elves but found no outward sign of what caused their erratic behaviour. They did find pendants made from a rare purple wood which they claimed as spoils.

The Cooshees suddenly looked to the East then bolted away to the West. From the East an old Elven woman emerged from the foliage. Behind her was an old Human male with a leather leash tied around his neck. It was Papa. The woman made no aggressive moves and called out to the PCs.

The heroes were cautious and confused about this woman. She introduced herself as Jeny Greenteeth, Protector of the Quivering Forest, and asked them why they were here. They told her they sought the man she had in tow. Jeny was reluctant to part with the man she called Ozzcar. She said that he told her of his granddaughter Sybil who was a seer. Jeny warned the PCs not to trust Sybil as she was pure evil and her visions foretold only death.

Jeny told the PCs she’d had strange dreams of an evil force coming soon. When she awoke she felt compelled to walk and that’s when she found Ozzcar. He offered her rare herbs to protect his family. She laughed at him and told him there was no protection from what was coming.

The PCs continued to try and negotiate Ozzcar’s freedom and Jeny finally relented a bit. She asked the PCs to acquire the heart of a golden stag and for that she’d trade Ozzcar. She even told the heroes that the stags were becoming bolder now that the Elves stopped hunting them. The party quickly agreed to the task and with directions from Jeny set off to find a golden stag.

It didn’t take long before they found five stages drinking from a creek. One of them seemed to be wounded or ill. The PCs fired weapons and spells at the wounded one and made noise to scare off the healthy ones. It was a solid plan that worked perfectly. They retrieved the heart and the golden pelt.

Jeny met them shortly thereafter and made good on her trade. The PCs moved as fast as they could, with Papa right behind them, all the way back to the Crossing Inn.

When they returned Papa apologized for his actions. The people at the inn accused Papa of putting a curse on the unconscious kitchen worker. Papa told them he’d drugged the man and must have used too much. He wasn’t cursed, just unconscious. He’d be fine in another day or two.

THE MISTS

With all four Gur males captured and returned to the Crossing Inn the PCs had a chance to talk to them in a controlled and safe environment. They all told the same story which began with an apology for any actions they took that caused harm to the locals. They claimed they were only following the direction provided by Sybil’s reading.

The fog outside the tavern got thicker and thicker, eventually engulfing the entire structure. Suddenly the front door swung open and a young Gur woman entered the Inn. “We’ve arrived,” she said before collapsing.

The PCs caught her, carried her inside, closed the door behind them and worked to revive her. The Gur males rushed to her side to ensure she was ok. Sybil had returned. When she awoke a few minutes later she was excited to see that her family was alive and well, despite their inability to carry out the assigned tasks with any success.

Before she could explain any more, cries for help were heard outside the inn. The heroes ran out to help those in need. The fog had dissipated in some areas and they could see a mother holding hands with her two children. She was hysterical, pointing into the mist screaming that something grabbed her son and had taken him into the fog. The PCs charged into the blinding fog in search of the boy.

A few of the softer PCs helped calm the mother and coaxed her and her kids into the safety of the inn. Unbeknownst to any of the PCs, four Fire Bats lurked in the thick fog. The fog wasn’t a problem for the creatures who relied on sonar to “see.” The PCs struggled to hit the troublesome Bats, and eventually decided to just follow the sounds of the boy who’d been taken.

When they called for their allies to come out of the inn and join them, Sybil insisted that she come too. She said the boy was important and she needed to be part of the group that rescued him.

The group held hands and walked through the mists following the sounds of the boy’s crying. After about 30 minutes the fog broke and they spotted the boy being carried off by a man. When they ran towards the man they realized it was a Zombie. Before they could decide on a plan of action more Zombies emerged from the mists all around them.

The party realized the priority was rescuing the boy so they risked opportunity attacks when necessary to close the distance and get to the boy. With focused fire they easily dropped the lead Zombie and released the boy from its clutches. Sybil was there and the boy immediately jumped into her arms.

The heroes fought valiantly and eventually destroyed all the Zombies they could see. They could hear more shuffling in the mists so they linked arms and ran back the way they came. However, in the fog they were uncertain of what direction they were headed and after an hour they realized they must be lost.

As they stopped to take a short breather, the fog swirled around them and before they knew it Sybil and the boy were gone. From the mists they heard Sybil’s voice recite the following:

The mists have come to take us all
Into a place of great darkness.
Evil lurks within;
An evil that only those of conviction
Have hope of destroying.

A few minutes later the fog cleared and they were on the outskirts of a small town, clearly not the town they’d left earlier that day. This was someplace else. Even the trees looked different and the temperature was a lot colder. A wooden sign on the path ahead read “Welcome to Barovia.”

Thoughts

Now that I’ve had a chance to run and play Suits of the Mist a few times I think I’m in a good spot to provide my thoughts and opinions. I’ll start by saying that I really liked it. Compared to the other 5-part introductory adventures I’d say this was my favourite. And that’s high praise because I think the others were all solid modules.

I really liked the way this module is set up. Right away the players realize there are four separate missions that they’ll have to complete as part of this adventure. The first four parts are all tied together yet they can be done in any order. Each has a compelling NPC who is doing the wrong thing for the right reason and in each case that NPC runs into unexpected problems.

The challenge for me when running this was to get any of the missions completed in under an hour. The introduction and set up took almost an hour every time I ran this. I wasn’t too concerned when this happened with the weekly group, but at a con it ate up too much of the time so I had to really spoon feed he players (not something I enjoy doing).

The missions themselves varied in length which also created some challenges. Again, for groups where time wasn’t an issue the longer missions were quite enjoyable, but at a con it was nearly impossible to complete some of the missions in the 1-hour time slot. Specifically the SWORDS mission. I did find that doing STARS and GLYPHS without a map helped save time, but that wasn’t really practical for COINS or SWORDS.

The first part of THE MISTS, the final mission, was quite difficult to run because of the fog. When using a map it’s hard to depict moving fog and creatures who hide within it. By the second and third time I ran this I all but eliminated the part with the Fire Bats and just beefed up the Zombies.

The players in all cases really felt cheated that Sybil and the boy just disappear into the mist. In one case they tied ropes around everyones’ waist ensuring no one got lost, but for the module to work they have to vanish. I realize Sybuil has a bigger role to play in the storyline but this seemed like a real cheat.

And finally I have to comment on the editing. I try not to nit-pick on this part of the modules because I know how difficult it can be to produce an error-free module, but parts of this mod obviously underwent significant revisions and the final quality check just wants there (SWORDS, we’re looking at you!). After muddling my way though it the first time I was able to apply some tweaks to fix it the next time through, but for an inexperienced DM running this at a con it would be a problem.

Despite my criticisms I want to again state how much I liked this module. It foretold the coming of Ravenloft’s mists and eventually pulled the PCs into Strahd’s realm. Another solid module from Shawn Merwin.

Have you had a chance to run or play Suits of the Mist? What did you think? What was your favourite mission? What parts did you like the least? DMs, what parts did you find most challenging?

Visit the Dungeon’s Master D&D Encounters Archive for all of our ongoing weekly coverage as well as other great D&D Encounters articles and resources.

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On Friday we comb through our extensive archives to find an older article that we feel deserves another look. From January 11, 2013, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: DMs Are the Worst Players.

They say that doctors make the worst patients; well I truly believe that DMs make the worst players. After DMing for long stretches DMs get used to having something to do all the time. They’re used to tracking initiative, running all the monsters, adjudicating rule disputes, playing the NPCs, and basically controlling the world. But when they give up the DM’s seat and go back to being one of the players all they have to worry about is running one character. For some DMs it can be a difficult transition. And for the new DMs it can spell disaster.

This is not to say that all DMs are bad players. Some DMs make the transition gracefully. This is especially true with a close-knit group where everyone takes a turn behind the screen. It’s the DMs who run the show for extended periods of time, especially during public-play or games with newer players that the transition from DM to player causes problems.

It’s not that these DMs turned players intentionally cause problems. In fact I believe that these DMs truly believe that they are helping. However, there can only be one DM at a time and if you’re not behind the screen than you’re not the DM. You need to remember what it means to be just a player and clam down. To make the transition easier I’ve compiled a list of tips to help. I strongly encourage any DM who is giving up the reigns soon or has done so recently to review these tips.

1. Set a positive example

Younger and less experienced players will look to you for queues. After all, until recently you were the Dungeon Master. As the DM you were in the position of authority and reverence. Just because you’ve changed seats doesn’t diminish your stature to those players. Show the new DM some respect and the table will follow your lead. Exemplify all the positive traits that you expected from players when you were the DM. This includes paying attention, even when it’s not your turn, having an accurate character sheet, and knowing what you’re going to do when your turn comes around.

2. Demonstrate creativity

If you’ve been he DM for a while you likely have considerable gaming experience. Show off your experience by playing your character in a creative way. Describe your actions and add the details that many players overlook. When it comes to role-playing try to stay in character as much as possible. Think outside the box and let the rule of cool be your guide. Push the limits of what you think your PC is capable of accomplishing. Encourage the DM and the other players to say yes. Just remember not to push things too far or argue if the new DM does not allow something. Remind the other players that they are not limited to just what’s printed on their character sheet.

3. Promote participation

As the former DM, many players may look to you to take on the role of party leader. Any time the group has to make a decision they’ll often turn to you and expect you to offer a suggestion. Former DMs like this because it is a small taste of the power they gave up when they stopped being the DM. Don’t do it! When the party looks to you, try to get the other players involved. Even when I’m the player I take notes on what everyone else’s is playing. During social interactions I turn to the PCs with the highest Charisma scores (Bards, Sorcerers, Paladins); during physical challenges I turn to the PCs with the highest Strength and Constitution (Fighters, Barbarians, Wardens). Try to get everyone involved rather than hog the spotlight.

4. Ensure a smooth transition

Have a polite and frank discussion with the new DM before you take a seat at his table. Let him know that if he needs help, you’re right there. Also let him know that you respect his authority as the DM and will not step on his toes. This may be a difficult conversation, especially if you don’t really know the new DM or you don’t think he’ll do as good a job as you did. In either of these cases keep your negativity to yourself. Be supportive. Having this talk will boost the new DMs confidence which will make the gaming experience better for everyone, including you.

5. Don’t be critical

Every DM brings his own style to the job. Some DMs like games that include a lot of hack and slash while others prefer puzzles and role-playing. Regardless of what the new DM’s style happens to be, don’t criticize, even if it’s the polar opposite of your style. You had your chance and you’ll likely have your chance again, until then sit down and shut up. This goes double if it’s the new DMs first time.

6. The new DM is the boss

Some DM’s have a really hard time letting go of the power when they revert back to the player’s chair. It’s tempting to correct a DM if they make the wrong call. Your job is not to be the rules lawyer, your job is to run your character. If the DM asks for your thoughts on a ruling, provide it, otherwise bite your tongue and let the game continue. The new DM’s word is final, not yours. If some egregious mistake happens consider talking to the new DM privately after the game and not in the middle of the adventure in front of the other players.

7. Help other players

If another player is unsure about how their power works or they miss some detail about a monster’s aura, by all means, help them. You’re still a fountain of DM knowledge even if you’re not the DM at this second. Don’t feel that you can’t say anything. You can and should still be helpful, especially when it comes to the other players. Just remember that if they have a question about a questionable or confusing ruling that you should defer to the DM.

8. Lead by example

There are times when a DM will expect or just hope that the players do certain things a certain way, yet they don’t. Sometimes it’s because they don’t know any better, sometimes it’s because they don’t think it will work. When you become the player demonstrate these things through your play-style. If the players don’t see the value in assisting, show them. If they don’t think it’s worth while using rituals, show them otherwise. If players don’t understand how readying an action works make a point of doing it a few times until they get it.

9. Create a cool character

This may seem obvious, but more often than not I see players make the same stereotypical characters over and over again: Elvin Ranger, Halfling Rogue, Dragonborn Paladin, Goliath Warden, Dwarven Cleric, Drow Sorcerer. Usually these race/class combos are chosen because they offer some mechanical benefit. Play against type and show the other players that having slightly lower stats doesn’t completely gimp a PC. Show them that making a few less than optimal choices can add awesome flavour and make for a truly remarkable character. Take non-combat feats like a Weapon Proficiency, Skill Training or a Multiclass feat. This kind of decisions can often set two very similar characters apart.

10. Separate DM and Player knowledge

Don’t share knowledge you have about the monsters, the map, or the adventure with the other players. Unless the party rolls successful knowledge checks they shouldn’t gain your DM knowledge about the monster’s vulnerabilities. Of course this goes for you too. Just because you know the monsters have a really low Will defense doesn’t mean that your character knows that. Try to stay in character.

11. Have fun

Some players take D&D way too seriously. DMs are often the worst offenders. Take a deep breath and remember that this is a game and that you’re supposed to be having fun. Try to promote a relaxed and entertaining environment. If you loosen up and have fun, the other players will follow suit.

What other tips would you suggest for DMs who have a hard time transitioning to the role of player? What are some of the worst offenses you’ve seen at your gaming table? How have you handled former DMs turned bad players in your group or at you FLGS?

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The Crossing Inn. A stop-over for travellers heading in and out of Phlan. However, with Phlan currently under the control of the Green Dragon Vorgansharax, the inn hasn’t seen nearly as many travels of late. Add to that the unseasonable cold and the lingering fog and it’s no wonder the inn has fallen on tough times.

As the five factions mount a heroic effort to reclaim Phlan, the PCs were asked to visit the Crossing Inn and gather intel while awaiting further instructions. When they reached the inn they discovered that a family of nomadic travellers who’d been staying in the area had tricked the locals, stolen some good, and fled the inn the night before. The heroes, all looking to make names for themselves, volunteered to track down the thieves, recover the stolen goods, and bring the perpetrators back to the inn to face justice.

In the last write-up we covered the introduction including who these thieves were and what was taken. We also followed the PCs’ adventures as they undertook the first mission called COINS. In that one they recovered a box of stolen gems for a visiting merchant. This week the PCs undertook two more missions called SWORDS and STARS as they tried to recover two more stolen items: a wagon full of weapons and a magic wand.

SWORDS

The PCs had no trouble following the wagon’s trail as it headed toward Xûl?Jarak, the abandoned Orc fortress in Thar. The persistent fog made it difficult to see too far ahead as they traveled up the mountainous trail. Eventually the fog broke and the PCs could see the abandoned fortress in the distance. They could also make out (barely) four Orcs leading a wagon into the fortress. One Orc carried a limp body over his shoulder. It looked like Kehkim was captured.

The PCs quickened their pace hoping to get to Kehkim before he was thrown in the Orc’s stew pot. As the party moved ahead they were ambushed by Goblins. The sneaky buggers had set traps, but observant PCs noticed the traps and managed to avoid getting tangled up. In the three times I ran this encounter only one PC was ever caught in the trap. In that instance the clever Goblins surrounded the spot where they knew he’d fall, while one of them cut the rope, and when he fell the others attacked the prone and restrained PC with advantage. It was ugly.

In the other instances the PCs made short work of the Goblins. In all cases I ramped up the difficulty of this encounter by providing lots of places for the Goblins to hide, and I increased the number of monsters to provide a real challenge for the party. Everyone who played enjoyed the combat, and all felt there was danger, but all knew that in the end they’d survive. After all these were just Goblins.

All of the parties kept some Goblins alive to try and interrogate them. However, two of the groups couldn’t get anything from the monsters – once because no one spoke Goblin, and the other because they failed their Charisma skills. In both cases they murdered the prisoners (despite a reminder from me that this was an unlawful act). The third group managed to coax some info from their prisoner including pass phrases that would allow them to get into the keep without being attacked. The parties that killed the prisoners found a crumpled paper with the pass phrases spelled out phonetically, but they had no idea what the words meant. All parties found a magnifying glass on one of the Goblins. Once cleaned up, the trinket was worth 125 gp.

At this point two of the three groups I ran through this part wanted to take a short rest while others felt time was of the essence and they needed to move ahead quickly. Since I beefed up the Goblin fight I allowed groups who wanted to take the rest to do so, but I adjusted the next part accordingly.

In all three cases this next part played out exactly the same way. I described the keep using the read-aloud text provide. Then I mentioned a lone raven circling the keep. When the raven changed its flight path and headed towards the PCs I had everyone roll initiative. I didn’t say that the raven was attacking or even posing any significant danger to the party, I just wanted to create some tension and see how they’d react to the unknown. Each time the raven rolled poorly in the initiative and went after most party members. And in each case the PCs chose to attack the poor raven before it could get close to them. In fact, two of the three parties killed the 1 hp raven with a crit. Little did they know that the raven was actually a Wizard’s familiar and was trying to provide intel and other assistance. Oh well.

Each party advanced slowly and quietly, some sending scouts, others advancing as a group. All Stealth checks were good enough to approach undetected. No one remembered to use the pass phrases, but it wasn’t necessary in any of the scenarios I ran.

Once inside the courtyard, the PCs spotted the wagon. The horse was still attached but resting comfortably. In the back of the wagon two Orcs sorted the weapons looking for the very best ones to keep for themselves. Not far from the wagon a man was locked in a cage. He matched the description of Kehkim they’d been given. He was alive but had been badly beaten.

The PCs took advantage of the Orc’s singular focus on the shiny weapons and attacked them. The Orcs called out for help and the fight was on. I had at least two more Orcs emerge from the crumbled buildings in the subsequent rounds. For the parties that rested and were back to full hit points I also had an Ogre make an appearance.

The combat was grueling and difficult, but the PCs always had a slight edge over the monsters. During the combat I had some PCs make Perception checks. They heard the sounds of movement and monstrous voices emanating from the lower sections of the keep. There were clearly more monsters nearby, but not close enough to join the fight yet. This emphasized the urgency to finish quickly and escape. During two sessions a PC rushed to free Kehkim, in the third they waited until all immediate monsters were killed before doing so.

Kehkim was weak but awake. He thanked the party and asked them to take the wagon with the weapons back to the inn. Since the Orcs did not honour their deal to protect his family he didn’t want them to have these weapons. He apologized for his actions and promised to try and make it up to the people he wronged.

The heroes managed to get the wagon turned around and back on the path before anyone emerged from the bowels of the fort. The trip back to the inn was uneventful. Kehkim offered the party a pair of earrings that he still wore as a reward for saving him. The party accepted his payment and returned him to the inn before they undertook their next mission.

STARS

Both times I ran this session I decided to do so without using a full on map with the 1-inch grids or minis. The results were very positive and it allowed us to complete this mission in about 30-40 minutes of real time. Considering how long it took to complete COINS and SWORDS, I needed to do something to quicken the pace and complete the missions in under an hour. Foregoing the map was the ideal solution.

The heroes were able to pick up the tracks of Hricu, the child who stole the wand. A local farmer confirmed they were heading in the right direction when he told them about the child he spotted running through his field a few nights earlier, lights flashing in his wake. The trail lead to the Vanishing Hills and up the relatively steep incline.

While the PCs decided how best to traverse the steep cliffs they noticed a strange flower that was growing wildly up the slope. Given the cold weather it was unusual to see a plant with such vibrant red colouring growing so abundantly. No one made a high enough Nature check to identify the plants so they proceeded without further delay.

As the group progressed onward and upward they needed to make Athletic checks to keep their footing on the steep and slippery terrain. It didn’t take long for more than a few PCs to slip and slide down the mountainside. The journey might have been fun if it wasn’t for the explosions. The red flowers were so plentiful that any PC who slid was unable to avoid going through a patch of the plants. A few seconds after the plants were touched (or picked) they exploded. It caused more than one PC to sustain a few points of damage.

With the new danger apparent, the climbing proceeded in a much more cautious manner. Eventually the whole party made it to a plateau where there was a path a few caves. Before the PCs could decide what direction to head next they were beset upon by hungry cougars (the big cats, not sexually aggressive soccer moms). The cats looked malnourished and the party realized they may avoid combat if they presented easier prey.

While the well armored PCs fought off the beasts, the spell casters pulled rations from their packs and threw the food off to the side. A few cougars pounced on the free food, but the party was forced to kill a few others. Once two cougars were killed the other cats moved in to feed on the remains. The party slipped away without having to kill the remaining cats.

The wand thief’s tracks were easily spotted in the dirt, heading into a nearby cave. The PCs with darkvision proceeded while those without darkvision stopped to light torches. The PCs in the lead turned the corner and started down a slippery slope. They saw brief flashes of light at the bottom so they rushed onward. Unfortunately huge icicles fell from the ceiling and pierced them as they made their way down. They didn’t stop to caution the rest of the party once they reached the bottom and took in the scene.

When the rest of the party got to the slope they had enough sense to look around. When they saw the icicles they used magic to destroy them, eliminating any chance of getting pierced. They then proceeded down the slope slowly and carefully.

At the bottom of the slope was a large rounded chamber. At the far end was a small child surrounded by giant bats. As the bats tried to bite and scratch the child, small bursts of fire shot out from the sticks he was holding in each hand. When he saw the PCs he called out for aid. The bruisers who rushed down the slope charged the bats and started slashing left and right.

What proceeded was a combat between grounded PCs and flying giant bats. The character with ranged attacks (bows and spells) targeted the bats in the air, while the melee combatants readied actions to slash at bats that swooped in. These weren’t just Giant Bats, but were in fact Fire Bats. When they got close to the PCs the bats emitted a fire burst. The first few attacks got multiple PCs in the burst, but as the heroes realized the potency of this power, they spread out.

With few hit points left, the PCs finally managed to defeat all the bats. Hricu began to ramble on at incredible speed the purpose for his theft and journey here. It included a meeting with a Dragon whom he was supposed to give the wand as a gift in exchange for protection for his family. But he accidentally broke the wand fending off the Fire Bats so he’s unsure what to do now. Upon hearing “Dragon” the PCs grabbed the boy and ran out of the cave and back down the mountainside. But before they did the sneakier PCs searched the Dragon’s Lair and found among some half-eaten bodies, a pouch with 2 fire opals and 2 healing potions.

The journey back to the Crossing Inn was painful as the child didn’t stop talking the whole way. The PCs were happy to be rid of him when the eventually arrived at their destination. They returned the wand to Aya, the Wizard. She was angry that the wand was destroyed, more because of its sentimental value to her than any actual magic it possessed. The boy offered to repair the wand or even carve the Wizard a new one. His youth revealed his naivety about how magic items are crafted. The Wizard scolded the boy, but eventually forgave him.

Be sure to visit Dungeon’s Master next week when we recap the fourth mission and the big finale that ends with a trip through the mists.

Podcasts

Recounting Encounters Podcast

Listen to Derek Myers, Craig Sutherland, and Marc Talbot (from 20ft Radius) recount our experience playing D&D Adventurers League games. We share the highlights from our respective tables and we talk about what worked, what didn’t and what we might have done differently. We’ll also bring you up to speed on what’s happening in the D&D community. Find all episodes of Recounting Encounters on iTunes.

Visit the Dungeon’s Master D&D Encounters Archive for all of our ongoing weekly coverage as well as other great D&D Encounters articles and resources.

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]]>http://dungeonsmaster.com/2016/04/dd-al-cos-suits-of-the-mist-2/feed/1148930:00:01The Crossing Inn. A stop-over for travellers heading in and out of Phlan. However, with Phlan currently under the control of the Green Dragon Vorgansharax, the inn hasn’t seen nearly as many travels of late. Add to that the unseasonable cold a[...]The Crossing Inn. A stop-over for travellers heading in and out of Phlan. However, with Phlan currently under the control of the Green Dragon Vorgansharax, the inn hasn’t seen nearly as many travels of late. Add to that the unseasonable cold and the lingering fog and it’s no wonder the inn has fallen on tough times.
As the five factions mount a heroic effort to reclaim Phlan, the PCs were asked to visit the Crossing Inn and gather intel while awaiting further instructions. When they reached the inn they discovered that a family of nomadic travellers who’d been staying in the area had tricked the locals, stolen some good, and fled the inn the night before. The heroes, all looking to make names for themselves, volunteered to track down the thieves, recover the stolen goods, and bring the perpetrators back to the inn to face justice.
In the last write-up we covered the introduction including who these thieves were and what was taken. We also followed the PCs’ adventures as they undertook the first mission called COINS. In that one they recovered a box of stolen gems for a visiting merchant. This week the PCs undertook two more missions called SWORDS and STARS as they tried to recover two more stolen items: a wagon full of weapons and a magic wand.
SWORDS
The PCs had no trouble following the wagon’s trail as it headed toward Xûl?Jarak, the abandoned Orc fortress in Thar. The persistent fog made it difficult to see too far ahead as they traveled up the mountainous trail. Eventually the fog broke and the PCs could see the abandoned fortress in the distance. They could also make out (barely) four Orcs leading a wagon into the fortress. One Orc carried a limp body over his shoulder. It looked like Kehkim was captured.
The PCs quickened their pace hoping to get to Kehkim before he was thrown in the Orc’s stew pot. As the party moved ahead they were ambushed by Goblins. The sneaky buggers had set traps, but observant PCs noticed the traps and managed to avoid getting tangled up. In the three times I ran this encounter only one PC was ever caught in the trap. In that instance the clever Goblins surrounded the spot where they knew he’d fall, while one of them cut the rope, and when he fell the others attacked the prone and restrained PC with advantage. It was ugly.
In the other instances the PCs made short work of the Goblins. In all cases I ramped up the difficulty of this encounter by providing lots of places for the Goblins to hide, and I increased the number of monsters to provide a real challenge for the party. Everyone who played enjoyed the combat, and all felt there was danger, but all knew that in the end they’d survive. After all these were just Goblins.
All of the parties kept some Goblins alive to try and interrogate them. However, two of the groups couldn’t get anything from the monsters – once because no one spoke Goblin, and the other because they failed their Charisma skills. In both cases they murdered the prisoners (despite a reminder from me that this was an unlawful act). The third group managed to coax some info from their prisoner including pass phrases that would allow them to get into the keep without being attacked. The parties that killed the prisoners found a crumpled paper with the pass phrases spelled out phonetically, but they had no idea what the words meant. All parties found a magnifying glass on one of the Goblins. Once cleaned up, the trinket was worth 125 gp.
At this point two of the three groups I ran through this part wanted to take a short rest while others felt time was of the essence and they needed to move ahead quickly. Since I beefed up the Goblin fight I allowed groups who wanted to take the rest to do so, but I adjusted the next part accordingly.
In all three cases this next part played out exactly the same way. I described the keep using the read-aloud text provide. Then I mentioned a lone raven circling the keep. When the raven chan[...]dungeonsmasternonohttp://dungeonsmaster.com/2016/04/dd-al-cos-suits-of-the-mist-2/http://dungeonsmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/podcast/al-season-04/recounting-encounters-2016-04-07-suits-of-the-mist.mp3Friday Favourite: What Your Weapon Says About Your Characterhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DungeonsMaster/~3/EoZ4dbvCimU/
http://dungeonsmaster.com/2016/04/friday-favourite-weapons/#commentsFri, 08 Apr 2016 16:30:31 +0000http://dungeonsmaster.com/?p=14889

On Friday we comb through our extensive archives to find an older article that we feel deserves another look. From March 21, 2012, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: What Your Weapon Says About Your Character.

“The clothes make the man.” It’s a pretty common expression. It quite literally means that you can draw a conclusion, and usually a fairly accurate conclusion, about a person’s personality just based on what they’re wearing. In D&D, the type of clothes (or armor) a person wears will usually indicate with great accuracy what class he is but it’s less likely to accurately indicate what kind of a man he is – for that you have to look at his weapon.

During character creation most players I’ve gamed with will equip their character before they determine his personality. I know that’s how I usually do it. But I’ve noticed over the years that the personality of a PC is very often directly related to the type of weapon he carries. It’s like the weapon imprints a specific personality type on the characters wielding them.

So I’ve put together a list of my observations. This is simply my first-hand account of how I see things. It’s not based on any scientific method or precise sampling, it’s just what I’ve seen over and over again in the many years that I’ve played D&D. I think that despite my rather loose methodology the results are surprisingly accurate.

If you think I’ve really missed the mark on any of these I encourage you to leave your feedback in the comments section below. I also welcome new additions to the list. After all, there are a lot of weapons in D&D and my list just scratches the surface.

Sharp Weapons

Dagger – A simple weapon for simple characters. As one of the cheapest weapons it’s often favoured by those who can’t afford anything better. If you use a dagger it’s because you like getting your hands dirty and prefer to get up close and personal.

Long Sword – By selecting the most common sword on the market you announce that you’re practical and logic. You prefer to take the tried and true path. You believe that if something works, there’s no reason to change it.

Short Sword – It’s rare for a character to use a short sword in one hand and nothing else in the other. You’re always trying to do many things simultaneously because you like to keep both hands busy all the time.

Scimitar – Since most choose the scimitar because of its high crit property, that suggests that you’re an optimist who’s willing to take chances. As a glass half full kind of guy, you strive to see the best in everyone.

Greatsword – Two hands on your sword at all times means that you’re focused. When a situation or problem comes up you want to do it right and you certainly only want to do it once.

Bastard Sword – If you use the bastard sword with two hands then you likely share a lot in common with the adventurer who wields a greatsword. If you wield the bastard sword with one hand then you’re a show off who wants to be the centre of attention.

Axe – You dislike subterfuge and prefer to cut to the heart of problems. You likely get along well with those who wield hammers.

Pole Arm – Clearly the size of your weapon is just your way of compensating for other shortcomings.

Blunt Weapons

Club – Your weapon if choice is a big piece of wood. You clearly don’t care what others think of you. You have a sense of adventure boarding on chaotic tendencies and will happily accept almost any challenge.

Hammer – You lack finesses. You’re thick-headed and like to tackle problem directly and head on. You and the axe wielders generally have a lot in common.

Mace – When it came to choosing a weapon you just wanted something heavy that you can smash with. This suggests that you’re opportunistic and rarely plan ahead.

Quarterstaff – You call a long branch you likely found in the woods your weapon (or implement). You’re cheap. You never pay for a round. You’re likely frail and probably use the quarterstaff as a walking stick as often as a weapon.

Fist – You don’t like to rely on others for anything. You want to handle all problems by yourself so that you know it’s done right. You’re not a good team player and have trust issues.

Ranged Weapons

Bow – You don’t like people or gatherings. You’re not interested in meeting anyone new. You prefer that strangers keep their distance.

Crossbow – You are the ultimate expression of the lazy adventurer. All you have to do is point and shoot, the weapon does all the real work. This weapon is favoured by overweight adventurers and old ladies.

Implements

Holy Symbol – You’re exceptionally needy. You prefer to let someone else, someone in authority, make the hard calls. Once someone sets a plan in motion you’re the first in line to support them and make sure everyone else does too. You’re a yes-man.

Orb – You have a short attention span and like shiny things. You’re easily distracted.

Wand – You’ve lived a privileged life, you’re soft and consider yourself better than others, but you likely lack the confidence to tell your companions that this is how you view them.

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Every week one of my players does a quick summary of what happened at our gaming table and emails it to our gaming group. It’s a great way for the players to keep the details fresh and it’s exceptionally helpful if a player misses a session. As the DM, it gives me a sense of what details they picked up and on what details they may have misinterpreted. It also gives me a clear idea of which parts of the game left the strongest impression upon my players, and allows me to adjust future sessions to focus on that kind of thing more often.

After reading a recent recap I commented that the players, especially the one doing the write-up, often described events in a way that glossed over their own mistakes or poor judgment, especially in cases where the outcome was not good. In response one of the players provided an alternate summary of the week’s events from the monsters’ point-of-view. It was both funny and educational. It reminded all of us that the heroes and villains of a story often depend on who’s telling the story. Read the two accounts of me last gaming session below and tell me what you think.

Please note that the assumptions and comments about gender roles in the summaries below are not intended to be derogatory or offensive, and are merely highlighted to present an alternative viewpoint from that of the party.

Session Recap – Players POV

Last time, we jumped a group of Hobgoblins that were headed to meet the bandit leader. It was a tough scrape, but we managed to win the day. We tried to interrogate the survivors, but they seemed reticent to provide information. We learned that the Hobgoblins had equipment that featured symbols which matched some of those seen in the portals we encountered previously.

We moved deeper into Hobgoblin territory, eventually discovering a large, semi-destroyed fortress. We played it safe, circling the fortress at a distance and gathering reconnaissance. We confirmed that it was indeed being used by the Hobgoblins. After keeping an eye on it for a little while, we noticed a group of four Hobgoblins set out into the woods. We pursued them for a while, and eventually three of them got the drop on us. We killed two, and dragged the third, unconscious, towards the sound of a commotion.

The commotion turned out to be a Gnome village. The Hobgoblins had laid waste to a number of the Gnomes, and kidnapped four. We doubled-back, seeking the kidnapped Gnomes and the remaining Hobgoblin. Though we could not catch the Hobgoblin, we managed to save the Gnomes.

Master Tobias received a message via the sending spell, informing him that the Sentinel Marshals were making inquiries, that a package had arrived, and that Nexxis had taken the airship. We decided to lay a trap for the Hobgoblins, as we were eager to move on to our actual warrant. The trap was successful, but we were outmatched. The Hobgoblins were led by a Super-Goblin of some kind, the last son of a distant planet, now infused with incredible powers by our world’s sun. Led by this deity-among-Goblins, the Hobgoblins captured us.

Session Recap – Monsters POV

Typically, the winning side writes the history books, so here’s the Hobgoblins’ side of what happened last session:

The Hobgoblin trade delegation set out to speak with the Gentleman Highwayman. It was a perilous road, but the Highwayman’s wares were worth the effort. The last few weeks had been challenging, but hopefully the Highwayman could provide necessary food and medicines for the Hobgoblins and their families.

After traveling for days, they suddenly noticed an unusual sight: A strange little fey creature! It mocked the Hobgoblins and did a little dance on the spot! Barthnarr the Brave tried to reason with the creature. He approached the trickster and offered his mighty two-handed sword as a tribute to it. However, the sword seemed to pass right through the creature. What trickery was this? Around the corner, the Hobgoblins could see several humanoids standing around… A man (surely the leader as befits his gender) and several women (and therefore unworthy of attention).

The noble Hobgoblins fought the human man and his strangely-dangerous concubines. The Hobgoblins chanted their mantra of “when two or more Hobgoblins surround, extra damage shall be found” and dealt some impressive blows. In the end, however, the man with his blade, the death-faced elf with her rapiers, the fashionable semi-elf with her mocking taunts and the metal-clad woman with her stick, proved too much for the noble Hobgoblins. Barthnarr awoke to see the stick-woman standing over him. She spoke to him in the Common tongue, asking if he had any final words. He responded with the standard Hobgoblin gesture of friendship, by spitting in the woman’s face. For unknown reasons, this seemed to anger her, and she smote him on the spot.

The trade delegation had not returned in weeks. The Hobgoblins of Friendship Castle had grown worried. If there was to be no food or medicine to come from the Highwayman, perhaps the gnomes were the only option. This was indeed a daunting proposition… the terrible gnomes with their tiny hands and murderous sense of humour. Another group was sent out, this one led by Peeble the Just.

Days later, Peeble returned alone. He spoke of cackling, insane gnomes and something far worse: A small troupe of amazon guerrillas, led by a human man. They slew the Hobgoblins, but Peeble managed to escape. He ran for his life, certain that the mad guerrillas were following him.

Now the Hobgoblins’ numbers had dwindled and they were running low on food and medicine. Guerrillas waited in the woods to slaughter any Hobgoblin that dared leave the safety of Friendship Castle.

Jankle the Pacifist, wisest of the Hobgoblin, spoke to his people: “I have seen a smoky fire in the distance! I propose that we send a group to parley with them!”

And it was done. But though the Hobgoblins were eager for peace, they were no fools. They sent a group of Hobgoblins to speak with the guerillas, but they ensured their protection by also sending along an ancient gold dragon (who owed the Hobgoblins of Friendship Castle a favour). They disguised this gold dragon as another Hobgoblin and the diplomatic delegation headed out to investigate the fire.

Once they were nearly at the smoky fire, the Hobgoblins heard a pile of pots and pans moving around in the forest. They investigated, finding the stick-woman they expected, who sheepishly struck them with her stick. They did not perceive the other three guerrillas, who joined in the melee.

The Hobgoblins, led by the overwhelming superior combat prowess of the ancient gold dragon, easily defeated the guerillas. They knocked them unconscious, of course, for to do otherwise would make the Hobgoblins no better than the murderers. The gold dragon’s debt paid, he flew off into the sky. But not before enchanting the stick-woman’s plate armor, for reasons that may never be fully understood.

The guerillas were carried back to Friendship Castle.

Now, hopefully, a reasonable conversation could be had.

Have your characters ever tried to be the heroes only to discover that the NPCs actually saw them as the villans? How has perception and point-of-view affected your campaigns?

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On Friday we comb through our extensive archives to find an older article that we feel deserves another look. From July 13, 2009, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: What’s a +1 Sword?

“That’s a beautiful blade,” noted the barkeep as he served the adventurers their ale. “Is it magical?”
“It sure is,” replied Delian the Paladin. “I found this in the ogre’s lair. It’s a +1 sword.”
“What’s a +1 sword?”

How often do you refer to your PC’s gear only in gaming terms? Sure the people sitting at your dining room table playing D&D know what a +1 sword is, but how would you describe the same weapon in character to an NPC? You’d sound pretty stupid if you called it a +1 sword. Not to mention that no one would understand what you mean when you call it a +1 sword.

Magical treasure is the most common reward in D&D. All PCs strive to acquire magic loot be it a magical wand, a suit of magical plate mail or even a magic sword. In most Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings magic items are fairly commonplace. To an experienced gamer owning a magical weapon may not seem like a big deal. In fact most PCs or NPCs worth their salt have one. But just because the magic items are common doesn’t mean that they aren’t special. It’s not like they’re mass produced in a factory and are indistinguishable from one another – quite the opposite in fact. Creating a magic item of any kind requires time, resources and aptitude. Anyone who chooses to create a magic item wants to make it unique. So just because you’ve got a magic sword and I’ve got a magic sword doesn’t mean that they’re the same.

It may be easier and faster for us to rely on game terms when we describe our character’s equipment, but why not give it a little bit more effort and have some fun with it. Don’t just say I have a +1 sword or I have a +1 wand. Put yourself in your PC’s shoes. He certainly wouldn’t refer to his weapon as a +1 sword or his magic wand as just a +1 wand. Assuming that I’m right, what do you think your PC would call his magic sword or his enchanted wand?

In most fantasy literature I’ve read, magical items are described in great detail. The more important the item to the story the more detail is provided. And important items always have names. In some cases the name is already know when the owner acquires the item and in other cases they name the item once they get a sense of its power. Drizzt has Icingdeath & Twinkle, Elric has Stormbringer and King Arthur has Excalibur. Think of how different these stories would be if these weapons didn’t have names.

Naming magical treasures isn’t limited to just weapons (although I think we’ll find that weapons tend to get named the most). In some circumstances the item may not get a name, but a lot of effort is put into describing the item. And despite lacking a proper name, we still know that this item is important and powerful. The Wizards in the Harry Potter stories all use magical wands and each wand is described in great detail. In the first novel Harry tries out a number of different wands before choosing one made from the feather of a phoenix. It’s this attention to detail that makes the item unique and more memorable.

In my regular campaign I play a Paladin. At 3rd level he found a +1 frost sword. I made a point of having him name the blade Frost Bite. He’s 9th level now and still wields Frost Bite with pride. Had it remained just a nameless +1 frost sword he’d likely have traded it in for something more powerful, but over the past six levels he’s come to cherish the weapon. Likewise, Wimwick plays a Rogue in the same campaign. When he found a +1 duelist’s dagger at 1st level he named it Nibbler and he too still uses Nibbler at 9th level. By naming the items they have become important parts of the ongoing story and help define the characters themselves. It’s seems like such a simple thing, yet it make our D&D experience enjoyable and more personal.

The next time you look over your PC’s item inventory think about naming some of the items. Think about how your character would describe his most valuable and important possession to others. By giving your items names it saves your PC from having to answer the question “What’s a +1 sword?”

Note: We ran this article as one of our Greatest Hits in 2009. Here are a few additional comments we added when we ran the article the second time.

The idea of giving names to magical items really struck a chord with our readers. This article quickly jumped to the top of our analytics and still remains one of our most popular and often read articles.

Many of the people who commented on the original article agreed that PCs should cherish their magic treasures and not just treat them as portable wealth. By naming items, the players become more attached to their sword or wand. It becomes more important to the player and enhances the role-playing.

Other comments suggested not immediately revealing a magical treasure’s true power or potential until the PCs either identified the item or had an opportunity to use it. After all, if the PCs don’t know that it’s a +1 sword then they have to call it something else. This is certainly a reasonable approach, but my experience was that by not revealing the item’s power up front – at least out of game – then the PCs waste a lot of time identifying items, not to mention the havoc of recording an unidentified item in Character Builder.

Another comment about scaling power in magical items reminded me of a campaign we ran a couple of years ago in which our DM approached things very differently. All the PCs found or earned +1 items early in the campaign. Then as the PCs leveled up, the items would get more powerful. This way a PC who became particularly attached to their +1 sword didn’t have to trade it for something better as they got more powerful.

The day after running this article we ran another article about magic items. The follow-up explored the pros and cons of introducing Intelligent Magic Items into your campaign. So whether your sword got a name because you named it or because it already named itself, PCs should never have refer to their weapon as just a +1 sword.

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Greetings readers! After a long break Dungeon’s Master is back in business and will be posting new articles (and Friday Favourites) on a regular basis once again.

It only seems fitting that our first new post be about D&D public play. There’ve been a lot of changes to the D&D Adventurers League since our last blog post and we won’t get into all of that just yet. However, with the discontinuation of the D&D Encounters program our weekly public play write ups will need to undergo a few changes as well starting with our title. From this point forward our weekly recaps will carry the D&D AL title since we can’t call it D&D Encounters any more.

With the passing of D&D Encounters we had to decide what we were going to do at our FLGS on Wednesday nights. Over the past few seasons we’ve run the hardcover adventure, or at least the part that was provided as a free PDF download. Although the new Curse of Strahd hardcover is outstanding, we’ve decided that we’re going to save it for home play. Instead we’re going to run the adventures formerly called D&D Expeditions week to week.

This season the shorter adventures form one linear, continuous story over the span of 14 modules. Each new adventure builds upon the one that came before it. At my FLGS we decided that running these was better than running the hardcover which we knew we’d never finish in the allotted time of the Curse of Strahd season. So this season my weekly recaps will cover the modules in order as we play them starting with DDAL04-01 Suits of the Mist.

Announcement

Before I get into the details of what my group did in the adventure so far, I feel I should take this opportunity to make an announcement on behalf of the D&D Adventurers League. If you play D&D AL at a store in your neighbourhood please let them know they can get the adventures and magic item certs by email, for free, from their D&D AL Local Coordinator or D&D AL Regional Coordinator (see Adventures & Certificates for Stores & Conventions). If you don’t know who your LC or RC happens to be, you can find out by visiting the D&D AL Wiki page and finding them. If there isn’t an LC for your area, you can volunteer to become one. Just reach out to the Regional Coordinator whose jurisdiction you’d fall under. You can also contact me and I can help if you’re still unsure.

With the housekeeping out of the way, let’s start the journey to Ravenloft as we being the Curse of Strahd adventure path.

Welcome Back to Phlan – A Brief History

I’ve run Suits of the Mist for a few different groups so far, including a few at a con last weekend. As with any new season of D&D Adventures League we get a lot of new players who are new to D&D and new to public play. This season the lure of Ravenloft brought many new players into the fold.

Although most of the players know that their characters will eventually end up in Ravenloft, many are unaware of the circumstances that set up this season. So I’ve composed a short, high-level summary of the details you need to know before you get to the Crossing Inn. For some this will seem like an over-simplistic recap of Tyranny of Dragons, but for others it will fill in an important piece of the background. So bear with me if you’re a D&D AL veteran.

About a year or two before the adventure begins a group of mysterious Dragon Cultist were trying to bring their goddess Tiamat, the five-headed chromatic Dragon (yes, the one from the 80s cartoon), back to the realm of men where she would reign supreme. The Dragon Cult was especially active in Phlan, a town on the Moonsea.

As the cult’s activities became more evident, adventurers arrived in Phlan to try and stop them. The Dragon Cultist managed to get the attention of a powerful Green Dragon called Vorgansharax and eventually the Dragon attacked Phlan. Heroes helped defend the town and managed to get many people out before the Green Dragon was victorious. To secure his new town, Vorgansharax used his magic to enact a barrier around the town trapping everyone still in Phlan, and keeping out those pesky adventurers.

We pick things up a year or so after the Dragon has claimed Phlan. The Faction leaders have been plotting to overthrow Vorgansharax and reclaim Phlan. To do this they need to enlist powerful allies. Adventurers in the area have been tasked with finding and recruiting such allies. And in the season 4 Epic adventure “Reclamation of Phlan” you do just that before facing off against the Dragon, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

The PCs for this adventure are newbies. They’re level 1 adventurers who want to help, but lack experience. So they’ve been giving a task more befitting their abilities. They are to travel to the Crossing Inn, a stop-over that travellers all around Phlan visit as they pass through. Our inexperienced heroes were told to watch, listen, and await further instruction once they reached the inn. And that’s where Suits of the Mist begins.

The Crossing Inn

When the character arrive at the inn, most of the current patrons are crowded around a table at the far end of the common room shouting and arguing. The PCs manage to pick out three distinct phrases: “filthy Gur,” cursed nomads,” and “larcenous and murderous.”

Quick sidebar – the Gur are a group of nomadic peoples in the Forgotten Realms. The idea is that they’re generally not welcomed because some have earned a reputation for being dishonest. As with any stereotype there will be some people who live up to the preconception and some who don’t. But in the case of the Gur, people often assume the worst and treat the visitors to their lands with distain and mistrust. A relatively easy History check reveals this information to the party.

The heroes have the opportunity to interact with the locals and find out what the commotion is all about. Their first interaction is with the owner and proprietor, a fat human names Romsan Kal. He tries to be pleasant and welcome the PCs to his establishment, but it’s obvious that his smile is incredibly forced.

During interactions with Rom, or the group of people gathered around the far table, the PCs quickly learn that a small family of Gur were here recently and it seems that they did harm to these people. Those wronged are fuming and are trying to figure out the best way to resolve their personal calamity.

Here’s what the PCs are told. A couple of weeks ago a family of five Gur showed up at the Crossing Inn. The locals were hesitant to trust or welcome the travellers, but Rom gave them the benefit of the doubt and accepted their coin. After a few days the locals warmed up to the Gur. The family was talented and shared songs and performances for a few coins. The great-grandfather, Papa, was a skilled cook and easily made friends of the kitchen staff as he shared secrets for traditional Gur family dishes. The only female of the group, a woman in her mid-twenties names Sybil, was a talented Seer and performed Taokka readings for anyone who was interested. Hre readings were accurate and helpful. The whole family was welcomed by this community.

Last night things changed. The family betrayed the trust of these people. All four of the Gur men stole from the community and fled during the night. The female Gur, Sybill, has not been seen for a few days.

STARS: Hricu (aged 12) befriended an Elvin Wizard staying at the in, but last night drugged her ale and stole her magic wand. He was last seen fleeing towards the Vanishing Hills.

COINS: Rilynin (aged 30) befriended two mercenaries hired to guard a travelling merchant’s wagon. He plied the guards with strong ale and when they passed out he stole a lock-box full of emeralds. He did not take anything else, despite many other valuables being readily available. He was last seen heading towards the Glumpen Swamp.

SWORDS: Kehkim (aged 50) managed to sneak into the community’s emergency bunker from which he stole two dozen long swords. He also stole a wagon from a nearby farmhouse so he could flee with the goods. He was last seen heading into the Thar hills towards the abandoned Orc stronghold Xul-Jarak.

GLYPHS: Papa (aged 80) befriended the kitchen staff at the inn, but after dinner last night he attacked the cook’s assistant, ransacked the kitchen, stole some rare herbs & spices, before fleeing towards the Quivering Forest. The unconscious cook’s wounds were healed but he has not yet awoken. It’s believed that Papa gave him the evil eye and cursed him.

Each of those wronged pleaded with the PCs to help them recover what was taken. All have strong arguments for the recovery of their property, but it’s up to the PCs to make the call since none of these folks seem willing to travel into the darkness to find the missing Gur. In addition to this excitement with the Gur, the people at the inn all seem to have an underlying fear of the darkness. Recently it’s become unseasonably cold and a perpetual fog has shrouded the land. The sounds of normal wildlife have disappeared and the only creatures seen about are vermin and scavengers. It’s frightened the locals and the PCs easily pick up on it.

I’ve run this adventure for two groups now.

The first party undertook the missions in the following order: COINS, SWORDS, STARS, GLYPHS.

The second party undertook the missions in the following order: SWORDS, STARS, GLYPHS, COINS.

COINS

Although all the wronged parties were adamant about getting their property back, the merchant was the only one who was able to promise a monetary reward for doing so. This was the deciding factor for the money-loving party I first took through this adventure.

The Merchant described the lock-box and its contents, 20 small emeralds. He offered the party 125 gp for the return of all gems. If there were fewer gems, then there’d be a smaller reward. To make the party’s task easier, the Merchant told them he’d paid the Wizard who’s wand was stolen to perform a locate object on the lock-box. The Wizard confirmed the box was still headed towards the Glumpen Swamp.

As the party was about to leave the Crossing Inn, the Wizard took them aside and offered them some words of wisdom. During the past week he’d been staying at the Crossing Inn he had a chance to get to know the Gur family. He believes that they’re genuinely good people and that whatever their motives, there’s more going on. He does not believe that this was just a family of con artists looking to rob the locals. The Wizard suggested that the Gur be captured and not killed as they may know more about the events to come and that knowledge may be vitally important.

With the Wizard’s words still echoing in their ears, the PCs left the inn and headed towards the Glumpen Swamp. The journey was uneventful and the party had little trouble finding and following the tacks Rilynin left behind. After a few hours of marching through the half-frozen swamp they spotted a clearing ahead and heard voices.

A female voice speaking common said, “I was promised more than this. I don’t think I can part with the merchandise for this paltry amount.” A male voice with an accent replied, “The gems are worth more than we agreed to. You assured us that we had a deal.”

The party all hid in the underbrush and moved closer as quietly as they could. They saw a Human male matching the Gur’s description holding the missing box low before him. A Gnome female dressed in furs was inspecting the gems. Behind them was a wagon and around it stood four Human guards watching the area for trouble, but not spotting the PCs.

The PCs didn’t wait or make any attempt to talk. They bolted into action. They fired weapons and magic at the Gur and the Gnome. A direct hit dropped Rilynin while the Gnome dove under the wagon for cover. The four guards moved into a protective formation in front of the Gnome and her wagon.

The party’s Druid realized they were not here to kill the Gur so he used healing magic to revive him. The rest of the party focused their attacks on the guards. The Warlock used Mage Hand to retrieve the lock-box with the gems. With the battle in full effect, the trees began to move. Strange Blights made their presence knows and attacked indiscriminately.

The PCs and guards worked together to fight the common enemy, but the PCs made no attempt to ensure that the guards were out of area of affect spells and by the time the combat ended all four guards were dead. Unfortunately two of the PCs, the Cleric and Druid, were both unconscious as well.

The Gnome merchant managed to lock herself in the back of her wagon during the combat and refused to come out once the fighting stopped. The party found a case of potions left at the foot of the wagon. Apparently that’s what Rilynin was trying to purchase with the gems. The Gnome offered to honor the deal if the party left the gems. The PCs weren’t interested. Instead they felt they deserved half of the potions for their losses so they took them before gathering their comrades, and the Gur, and leaving.

When Rilynin awoke he apologised for his theft and thanked the party for helping him. He explained that his sister is a powerful Seer and using her cards she foresaw a terrible and powerful evil that will befall this area soon. The Gur cannot escape so they took steps to ensure their safety. The potions are Holy Water and the Gnome agree to trade them for these gems. The party later discovered that only two of the potions were actually Holy Water.

When they got back to the Crossing Inn the merchant was ecstatic that his gem had been found. True to his word he paid the party their reward. Rilynin apologized but the merchant demanded justice. Rom said he’d have the magister deal with it when the rest of the Gur were captured or killed.

To be continued.

Podcasts

Recounting Encounters Podcast

Listen to Derek Myers, Craig Sutherland, and Marc Talbot (from 20ft Radius) recount our experience playing D&D Adventurers League games. We share the highlights from our respective tables and we talk about what worked, what didn’t and what we might have done differently. We’ll also bring you up to speed on what’s happening in the D&D community. Find all episodes of Recounting Encounters on iTunes.

Visit the Dungeon’s Master D&D Encounters Archive for all of our ongoing weekly coverage as well as other great D&D Adventurers League articles and resources.

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]]>http://dungeonsmaster.com/2016/03/dd-al-cos-suits-of-the-mist-1/feed/3148660:00:01Greetings readers! After a long break Dungeon’s Master is back in business and will be posting new articles (and Friday Favourites) on a regular basis once again.
It only seems fitting that our first new post be about D&D public play. There’ve b[...]Greetings readers! After a long break Dungeon’s Master is back in business and will be posting new articles (and Friday Favourites) on a regular basis once again.
It only seems fitting that our first new post be about D&D public play. There’ve been a lot of changes to the D&D Adventurers League since our last blog post and we won’t get into all of that just yet. However, with the discontinuation of the D&D Encounters program our weekly public play write ups will need to undergo a few changes as well starting with our title. From this point forward our weekly recaps will carry the D&D AL title since we can’t call it D&D Encounters any more.
With the passing of D&D Encounters we had to decide what we were going to do at our FLGS on Wednesday nights. Over the past few seasons we’ve run the hardcover adventure, or at least the part that was provided as a free PDF download. Although the new Curse of Strahd hardcover is outstanding, we’ve decided that we’re going to save it for home play. Instead we’re going to run the adventures formerly called D&D Expeditions week to week.
This season the shorter adventures form one linear, continuous story over the span of 14 modules. Each new adventure builds upon the one that came before it. At my FLGS we decided that running these was better than running the hardcover which we knew we’d never finish in the allotted time of the Curse of Strahd season. So this season my weekly recaps will cover the modules in order as we play them starting with DDAL04-01 Suits of the Mist.
Announcement
Before I get into the details of what my group did in the adventure so far, I feel I should take this opportunity to make an announcement on behalf of the D&D Adventurers League. If you play D&D AL at a store in your neighbourhood please let them know they can get the adventures and magic item certs by email, for free, from their D&D AL Local Coordinator or D&D AL Regional Coordinator (see Adventures & Certificates for Stores & Conventions). If you don’t know who your LC or RC happens to be, you can find out by visiting the D&D AL Wiki page and finding them. If there isn’t an LC for your area, you can volunteer to become one. Just reach out to the Regional Coordinator whose jurisdiction you’d fall under. You can also contact me and I can help if you’re still unsure.
With the housekeeping out of the way, let’s start the journey to Ravenloft as we being the Curse of Strahd adventure path.
Welcome Back to Phlan – A Brief History
I’ve run Suits of the Mist for a few different groups so far, including a few at a con last weekend. As with any new season of D&D Adventures League we get a lot of new players who are new to D&D and new to public play. This season the lure of Ravenloft brought many new players into the fold.
Although most of the players know that their characters will eventually end up in Ravenloft, many are unaware of the circumstances that set up this season. So I’ve composed a short, high-level summary of the details you need to know before you get to the Crossing Inn. For some this will seem like an over-simplistic recap of Tyranny of Dragons, but for others it will fill in an important piece of the background. So bear with me if you’re a D&D AL veteran.
About a year or two before the adventure begins a group of mysterious Dragon Cultist were trying to bring their goddess Tiamat, the five-headed chromatic Dragon (yes, the one from the 80s cartoon), back to the realm of men where she would reign supreme. The Dragon Cult was especially active in Phlan, a town on the Moonsea.
As the cult’s activities became more evident, adventurers arrived in Phlan to try and stop them. The Dragon Cultist managed to get the attention of a powerful Green Dragon called Vorgansharax and eventually the Dragon attacked Phlan. Heroes helped defend the town and managed to get many people out before the Green Dragon was victorious. To secure his new town, Vo[...]dungeonsmasternonohttp://dungeonsmaster.com/2016/03/dd-al-cos-suits-of-the-mist-1/http://dungeonsmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/podcast/al-season-04/recounting-encounters-2016-01-18-dms-guild-curse-of-strahd.mp3Friday Favourite: Speed Up Your Game – Know When to Call the Fighthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DungeonsMaster/~3/p1WjpyjoUMk/
http://dungeonsmaster.com/2016/01/friday-favourite-speed-up-your-game-know-when-to-call-the-fight/#commentsFri, 08 Jan 2016 14:00:56 +0000http://dungeonsmaster.com/?p=14861

Note: Although this article was written to address 4e most of the tips are just as applicable to 5e or any edition for that matter. – Ameron

One of the biggest criticisms I’ve heard about 4e D&D is that the combat takes too long. Sometimes it’s necessary to stop combat, assume the PCs will emerge victorious and keep things moving. When DMs find themselves in a situation where dragging out a combat encounter is just an exercise in rolling dice then it’s time to call the fight. We’ve already shared some of our methods for speeding up your game and as PCs move into the Paragon and Epic tiers of play DMs will find this latest tip more and more useful.

In my regular game the PCs are about to go from level 9 to level 10. I always expect that the monsters will get tougher as the PCs get tougher but this doesn’t seem to be the case. The monsters seem to be advancing at the same pace as the PCs. The only real improvement that I’m seeing with higher level monsters is that they have more hit points. The difference between level 9 and level 10 monsters are better defenses (+1 to AC, Fort, Ref and Will) and better attack scores (+1 to hit). Since my PC will also get +1 to his attacks and +1 to his defenses when he goes from level 9 to level 10 the monster hasn’t really improved that much at all. The only significant difference between the PC and the monsters on a level by level basis is hit points. The monster’s hit points usually increases much more dramatically and much more rapidly than the PCs hit points. More hit points means longer combat. So an encounter that might have taken 5-10 rounds at level 6 now takes 15-20 rounds at level 10. And let me tell you those last 10 rounds really tend to drag on.

By round 10 in a combat encounter most PCs have used their all of their encounter powers, utility powers, actions points, item powers and any daily powers they plan to expend on this fight. By round 10 on the other side of the screen you get one really tough monster stuck using its at-will attack while it desperately tries to recharge its one remaining decent power. Meanwhile the PCs are trying to finish the fight using only their at-will attacks, without expending any more resources or taking any more damage. Those last 10 rounds tend to be long and boring. In a recent game this exact scenario took between 30 and 45 minutes to play out.

Unfortunately this is part of the way that 4e D&D is designed to play out. It doesn’t happen with every fight but it happens often enough that most of you reading this right now are probably thinking “I’ve been there before.”

This is when it’s up to the DM to step back and consider the bigger picture. Since this situation generally occurs when the PCs are fighting the big villain at the end of the adventure the PCs will most likely be taking an extended rest when the combat is over. If this is the case then the DM should call the fight when he realizes that it’s just a war of attrition.

Unless the monster has a means of calling for reinforcements or some other trick up its sleeve, then its demise is pretty much a foregone conclusion (baring some really unusual behaviour by everyone’s dice). This is especially true if the PCs have lots of healing surges left and the ability to use them. Playing out combat the pits one monster using at-will attacks against five PCs using at-will attacks is just a waste of 30 minutes. Call the fight and let the PCs take their rest.

Now if the end-result is still in question then by all means play it out to the bitter end. If some PCs are already out (and possible making death saves) or half the party is out of healing surges, then there’s still a lot that can happen. The last three times I’ve been in this situation there was absolutely no doubt that the PCs were going to win and in all three situations the PCs had ample opportunity to take an extended rest following the combat.

There are some things we can all do to keep the game moving and speed things along. DMs need to realize that sometimes playing out an encounter will not add any value to the story. In situations where this is true, the DM should call the fight, reward the PC, let them take their extended rest and put those 30 minutes to better use.

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What do you do when you find yourself in possession of a stolen Red Dragon egg? What if you knew where to bring it but couldn’t get it there because it was too big to fit through the exit? Simple, find another exit that will accommodate the egg’s size. Oh, and don’t get caught with it or allow it to get cracked in the process. Just another day in the life of an adventuring party wandering through the Duergar city of Gracklstugh.

This week at Face to Face Games in Toronto we had fewer players than normal and only ran four tables, but we did have two new walk-ins so that helped round out the tables we did run. My group had six including one of the new players. He’d been playing at another FLGS and was new to our store, but not to D&D organized play. The party looked like this: Group A had the Human Monk, Human Rogue, and Half-Orc Barbarian; Group B had the Elf Wizard, the Dragonborn Fighter, and the new character a Halfling Rogue (Assassin).

Last week we only had the three players in Group A so they explored the Whorlstone Tunnels while Group B stayed by the entrance waiting for Droki. When we started this week the party was still divided into two groups.

Group A – Looking for an Exit

The three PCs needed to rest after the tough fight they faced in the last session. Once they’d rested they gently grabbed the egg and started looking for another exit. The heavy doors at the end of the winding tunnel opened to a wild thicket of Underdark plants. This was not the way out so they closed the doors and tuned back. They retraced their original path through the narrower tunnels (still wide enough to bring the egg through) and when they got back on the main path they took the road not travelled.

The Rogue scouted ahead and as long as there was no danger he beckoned the party to follow. They came to a large room that smelled really bad, like rot and decay. A lone Duergar stood guard on the top of the plateau, looking down into the pit of filth and rot. Something in the pit moved. The party decided to turn back and try another passage.

Group B – Heeeeere’s Droki!

While the Fighter and Wizard waited for their party to return or for Droki to happen by, a new face emerged from the cavern entrance. A Halfling stood before them and claimed that the Order of the Flame had sent him to help. The party was facing more resistance than they expected so these two accepted his claim and told him to sit tight. Not long after the new PCs arrived a Derro emerged from a crack in the far corner of the room and as he munched on some bigwig mushrooms grew to his normal size.

The floppy hat with tentacles sewn onto it clearly identified this lone traveler as Droki. He was oblivious to the presence of the PCs and wandered towards the tunnel exit muttering to himself, rhyming and giggling. The Fighter quickly grabbed the Derro before he could get away. As soon as hands were placed on him, Droki began screaming. He announced that he had nothing valuable on him because he’d already made his deliveries. He even turned his satchel inside out to prove his lack of possessions.

The Fighter demanded the others search his pockets and see if he had anything else valuable on him. The Wizard took his hat and boots. The Derro was upset when they took his hat, but lost his mind when they took off his boots. He cried that they were a gift from his dear departed mother. Looking at the boots the Wizard realized they were too big for Droki. A quick search revealed coins stuffed into a sock way down in the toes. The three PCs took the coins for themselves. Droki begged for them to return his boots and his hat. The Fighter suggested burning them, but the Wizard eventually returned the hat and boots to the Derro.

Once he had his stuff back, Droki was a bit more relaxed and open to conversation. They asked him about the Grey Ghosts. He said some of them lived in the tunnels. However, when asked to guide the party to them, Droki refused. Even when offered a bribe (with his own money) he still refused to betray their confidence. Finally the Rogue had the idea to hire Droki as a courier. He wrote a note (which included a dirty picture) and told Droki to deliver it to the leader of the Grey Ghosts. Droki agreed.

Group B planned to follow Droki. Unfortunately for them, now that Droki had his magical Boots of Speed back on he was able to run very fast and lost the party easily. They had to resort to tracking his footprints. They followed the tracks through numerous passages and eventually came to a set of doors. However, the tracks seemed to go in and out of the door so they decided to not go inside and instead kept tracking the Derro. When Group B got to a fork in the path, Droki’s tracks led one way but from the other path they saw Group A approaching, carrying the giant Red Dragon egg.

The two groups relayed their respective tales and then continued onward.

Fountain of Evil (area #9)

The reunited party followed Droki’s tracks into an area where multiple passages intersected at a pool. In the water the Fighter saw a glint of something shiny. The new Rogue saw it too. Both PCs let greed to motivate them so they dove in the pool in hope of collecting coins and other treasures. Unfortunately, the pool was home to a Water Weird who promptly attacked them.

The Fighter took the brunt of the attacks while the Rogue, who was smart enough to tie a rope around his waist before diving into the pool, was pulled to safety. The other PCs stood a safe distance back of the pool and attacked the Water Weird with ranged weapons and spells. The Fighter preferred to confront the monster head on so he remained in the pool so he could engage in melee. The watery creature did its best to drown the Fighter but it was no match for six PCs. It was destroyed and the party suffered very little damage.

While the group caught their breath the Halfling Rogue skimmed the bottom of the pool and collected the few copper and silver coins that they saw reflecting the light.

Grey Ghost Garden (area #7)

The party decided to go back and explore the area beyond the doors. In addition to Droki’s tracks there was also evidence of other booted humanoid tracks in this area. The Halfling Rogue searched the doors for traps and finding none proceeded to pick the lock. The party opened the door and everyone stepped inside. The main passage curved to the right towards a powerful and unpleasant smell. Along the left side they saw another smaller passage from which they noticed flickering firelight. The Monk and two Rogues moved ahead silently to peek down the lighted passage.

As the three sneaky PCs got to the fork in the path two invisible Duergar made their presence known when they attacked. It was an ambush! The softest PCs were alone at the front. The Fighter ran up to help, the Wizard cast ranged spells, and the Barbarian (who was protecting the Dragon egg) attacked with throwing axes. The three softies in the front took a pounding before they’re allies could get close enough to help. To make things worse two more Duergar approached from the area that smelled bad.

It was a tough fight and both Rogues fell unconscious during the combat. Fortunately healing potions were plentiful so they managed to get back in the fight before it was over. In the end the four Duregar were killed and the party was very badly wounded. The party could hear the sounds of movement in the room with the firelight. They took a couple of rounds to heal up and get ready before they rush ahead.

Gray Alchemist (area #8)

When the finally got into the room there was no one there. However, they could hear someone behind a steel reinforced door. The Fighter tried to smash the door while the Monk tried to climb up to a ledge and get over the wall and door. The Monk spied a Duergar fleeing through another door as he crested the top of the ledge. He dropped down and opened the door for his allies. They quickly smashed through the second door and just saw the Duergar’s legs step off the top rung of a ladder and disappear through a hole in the ceiling. The exit was large enough for the Dragon egg to pass through. This must have been how they got it in here in the first place.

The Wizard, Fighter and Halfling Rogue climbed the ladder and when they exited through the hatch they discovered that they were in the Darklake District. The streets were crowded with Duergar; it would be nearly impossible for them to find the one they were looking for. They all rolled Perception checks (I told them they’d need a natural 20 to spot him). Two PCs rolled natural 20s and the third got more than 20 when he added all his modifiers. So among the crowd they spotted their quarry and easily caught him. He begged them not to kill him. He agreed to tell them anything they wanted to know if they brought him back down to the tunnels away from prying eyes and ears. They agreed.

Once they brought him back down into the lair he spilled his guts. He figured he could convince the party to let him live if he came clean. The Grey Ghosts stole the Red Dragon egg. They learned that the Order of the Flame planned to kill Themberchaud because he’d grown too big and was becoming too difficult to control. The Order was planning to let the egg hatch, then keep a tight leash on the baby and then kill the adult. If the egg was removed from the equation the Order would continue to lose power as their hold on Themberchaud weakened.

Lorthio pleaded with the party to either return the egg to Themberchaud directly and not let the Order get their hands on it, or to take it out of Gracklstugh. The Monk and Fighter wanted to give it to the Dragon, but wanted to let him know what was going on before they showed up on his doorstep with the egg. Lorthio warned the party that if they crossed the Order of the Flame they’d likely try and kill the party immediately. He suggested they leave the city as soon as the egg was delivered. Lorthio was willing to help them escape and could outfit the party with supplies and equipment needed to traverse the Underdark.

The two heroes went to visit the Dragon while the others helped Lorthio gather the equipment they needed. The Order of the Flame was quite reluctant to let the PCs speak directly with the Dragon. When diplomacy failed they forced their way into Themberchaud’s lair. They gave him a full report. He told them to deliver the egg to a merchant who was loyal to him. This merchant would load the egg into a wagon and bring it to him directly. The grateful Dragon gave the PCs potions and coins as a reward for their good work.

When the Monk and Fighter returned they worked with Lorthio to find the merchant and get the egg out of the cavern and loaded on the wagon. As the egg made its way to Themberchaud the party made their way out of Gracklstugh. With supplies and a detailed map in hand they headed off into the Underdark in search of their next adventure.

To be continued.

Thoughts

After five full session in Gracklstugh (and two session in the Underdark before that) my group just wanted to move on. There is an incredible wealth of information in the hardcover that would be helpful if a campaign was going to take place in Gracklstugh, but as part of the broader Out of the Abyss story there was no way the party could do everything.

I was once again challenged with a party that wanted to split up. I tried to bring the groups together as quickly as possible but it’s always tough. My advice to any DM facing a split party is to jump back and forth between groups quickly; don’t spend too much time with one group or the other. If combat is necessary let the players sitting around doing nothing run the monsters for you. You want to make sure everyone participates in some way.

Another challenge I faced this week as the DM was the new player who was joining us from another store. He had a character but did not have an Adventure Logsheet. When I looked over his character there were a lot of issues that made his character illegal for AL play. He explained that his old DM took care of all the recordkeeping for the players. We worked together to fix his PC and I took this opportunity to remind everyone at my FLGS that they need to be completing their Logsheet after every session.

We’re taking a few weeks off for the holidays but come January we’ll be back in the thick of things. I’m not sure if they’re planning to head to Neverlight Grove or to Blingdenstone. In either case they’ll most likely find another mini-dungeon along the way first.

Podcasts

Recounting Encounters Podcast

Listen to Derek Myers, Craig Sutherland, and Marc Talbot (from 20ft Radius) recount our weekly experience at D&D Encounters. We share the highlights from our respective tables and we talk about what worked, what didn’t and what we might have done differently. Find all episodes of Recounting Encounters on iTunes.

Actual Play Podcasts

Each week we record our D&D Encounters session and make it available to you for download every week. These recordings are made in a loud, crowded game store so at times it may be difficult to hear everyone. Some language may be inappropriate for all ages, although we try to keep it as family-friendly as possible.

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]]>http://dungeonsmaster.com/2015/12/dd-encounters-out-of-the-abyss-session-4-7/feed/10148580:00:01What do you do when you find yourself in possession of a stolen Red Dragon egg? What if you knew where to bring it but couldn’t get it there because it was too big to fit through the exit? Simple, find another exit that will accommodate the eg[...]What do you do when you find yourself in possession of a stolen Red Dragon egg? What if you knew where to bring it but couldn’t get it there because it was too big to fit through the exit? Simple, find another exit that will accommodate the egg’s size. Oh, and don’t get caught with it or allow it to get cracked in the process. Just another day in the life of an adventuring party wandering through the Duergar city of Gracklstugh.
This week at Face to Face Games in Toronto we had fewer players than normal and only ran four tables, but we did have two new walk-ins so that helped round out the tables we did run. My group had six including one of the new players. He’d been playing at another FLGS and was new to our store, but not to D&D organized play. The party looked like this: Group A had the Human Monk, Human Rogue, and Half-Orc Barbarian; Group B had the Elf Wizard, the Dragonborn Fighter, and the new character a Halfling Rogue (Assassin).
Last week we only had the three players in Group A so they explored the Whorlstone Tunnels while Group B stayed by the entrance waiting for Droki. When we started this week the party was still divided into two groups.
Group A – Looking for an Exit
The three PCs needed to rest after the tough fight they faced in the last session. Once they’d rested they gently grabbed the egg and started looking for another exit. The heavy doors at the end of the winding tunnel opened to a wild thicket of Underdark plants. This was not the way out so they closed the doors and tuned back. They retraced their original path through the narrower tunnels (still wide enough to bring the egg through) and when they got back on the main path they took the road not travelled.
The Rogue scouted ahead and as long as there was no danger he beckoned the party to follow. They came to a large room that smelled really bad, like rot and decay. A lone Duergar stood guard on the top of the plateau, looking down into the pit of filth and rot. Something in the pit moved. The party decided to turn back and try another passage.
Group B – Heeeeere’s Droki!
While the Fighter and Wizard waited for their party to return or for Droki to happen by, a new face emerged from the cavern entrance. A Halfling stood before them and claimed that the Order of the Flame had sent him to help. The party was facing more resistance than they expected so these two accepted his claim and told him to sit tight. Not long after the new PCs arrived a Derro emerged from a crack in the far corner of the room and as he munched on some bigwig mushrooms grew to his normal size.
The floppy hat with tentacles sewn onto it clearly identified this lone traveler as Droki. He was oblivious to the presence of the PCs and wandered towards the tunnel exit muttering to himself, rhyming and giggling. The Fighter quickly grabbed the Derro before he could get away. As soon as hands were placed on him, Droki began screaming. He announced that he had nothing valuable on him because he’d already made his deliveries. He even turned his satchel inside out to prove his lack of possessions.
The Fighter demanded the others search his pockets and see if he had anything else valuable on him. The Wizard took his hat and boots. The Derro was upset when they took his hat, but lost his mind when they took off his boots. He cried that they were a gift from his dear departed mother. Looking at the boots the Wizard realized they were too big for Droki. A quick search revealed coins stuffed into a sock way down in the toes. The three PCs took the coins for themselves. Droki begged for them to return his boots and his hat. The Fighter suggested burning them, but the Wizard eventually returned the hat and boots to the Derro.
Once he had his stuff back, Droki was a bit more relaxed and open to conversation. They asked him about the Grey Ghosts. He said some of them lived in the tunnels. However, when asked to guide the party to them, Droki refus[...]dungeonsmasternonohttp://dungeonsmaster.com/2015/12/dd-encounters-out-of-the-abyss-session-4-7/http://dungeonsmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/podcast/season-21/dd-encounters-season-21-4-07-face.mp3